Middle Fork Feather River

Beginning near Beckwourth, the Middle Fork Feather River flows 98 miles, passing through the Sierra and Mohawk Valleys, into Lake Oroville. It is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and is a popular destination for many recreation activities, like fishing and rafting. Numerous communities are present along the river, such as Sierraville, Portola, and Loyalton. These areas depend on the water flowing into and through the Middle Fork not only for recreation, but also for irrigation.

See the Report Card for the Middle Fork Feather River (a product of UC-Davis)

Monitoring

Monitoring within this sub-watershed allows informed decisions to be made on activities which have potential to impact water quality or are currently impacting water quality. Comprehensive monitoring will enable us to keep the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork from becoming polluted.  Monitoring stations are located on the river itself, at Beckwourth and Nelson Point, as well as Jamison and Sulphur Creeks. For more on monitoring in the Middle Fork Feather River area, click here.

Restoration

In a perfect world, restoration wouldn't be a needed part of watershed stewardship. However, acknowledging the damage that has occurred to watersheds sometimes means recognizing the need for active intervention to help get the watershed back on the right path. Recent projects include meadow floodplain work on Long Valley Creek, as well as pond and plug and bank stabilization on Smith Creek. Click here to learn more about these restoration projects in the Middle Fork Feather River sub-watershed.

Lake Oroville - The end of Feather River-Middle Fork

Community

At Sierra Institute, we recognize that healthy watersheds need an engaged community. Therefore, we are working to allow citizen stakeholders to become more involved in the decision-making process.